Love's Restoration
by spwarkle
Summary: It's been seven years and Caitlyn and Nate are no closer than they were at the end of that last summer. Is Mitchie and Jason's upcoming wedding going to make a difference in the lives of their friends? Sequel to Just Give Me Time. Naitlyn. Jitchie.
1. Chapter 1

**It's back! The sequel to Just Give Me Time. It might not be my most popular story, but I love Naitlyn so it's happening. This is chapter one and I know it launched straight into the story but this is about their sixth draft and all of the others started off so slowly that I fell asleep just writing them.**

**Enjoy :)**

Thunder was rolling around the city. Every crash echoed off of the glass windows and magnified itself for the inhabitants to hear. Most people had gone home. Everybody sensible had at least found shelter. At ten o'clock at night in the middle of a vicious storm, there were very few people roaming the streets.  
>One of the very rare exceptions to this rule could be found parked down a little side road in the outskirts of the city centre. To any spectators, he would look slightly crazy, thumping and swearing at his car in the middle of a storm, but then, none of those spectators would know what had happened to the man in the past twenty four hours.<p>

Since he had awoken yesterday morning, nothing had gone right for the man. First of all, the hotel he had been staying at had been unable to register his credit card, he had been forced to charge the payment to his parents, who had given him their card in case of emergencies. This, coupled with the sixteen girls who took it upon themselves to chase him around the airport for half an hour, had caused him to miss his plane. The next flight had left six hours later and he had spent that time sitting in the various tacky coffee shops, desperately trying to explain the situation to his brothers over the phone and then contacting his parents before they saw the money on their credit card and panicked.

When he had finally made it onto the plane, he found himself squashed in between the window and a hugely fat man who snored and dribbled from the moment the plane took off to the second before it landed. When he had made it off of the plane, he discovered that his luggage, two suitcases of clothes, had been put on the wrong plane. Disgruntled, exhausted and now missing his luggage, the young man had picked up the car he had parked in the airport car park almost a month ago very angrily indeed.

Driving towards the centre of the city with only his wallet, phone and sour mood, he had discovered what was, at that time, a few drops of rain. Within the hour, the torrential downpour, deafening thunder and jagged lighting had descended. It was at this point that his phone had died out and his car had decided to stutter to a stop.

All in all, Nate Grey thought it fair to say that he was having a crap day.

Giving his car one last kick, he growled and turned away. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and shook it angrily but the screen didn't even flicker. If anything, he was making matters worse.

"Okay, it's not the end of the world." He told himself, speaking out loud. People were unlikely to be around to hear in this weather and even if they were, he was pretty sure he had just cause to talk to himself after the day he was having. "You're Nate Grey, for crying out loud. All you've gotta do is find the nearest apartment and they'll let you use your phone. Yeah, that's right."

Smiling grimly, Nate turned away from his car, not bothering to lock it. There was nothing in it except for a pair of sodden socks he had taken off minutes beforehand. If anybody wanted them, they were welcome. He was pretty sure there was an umbrella kicking around in there somewhere, too, but he was already soaked to the skin so he didn't see much point in fishing it out.

Nate had not even made it to the end of the road when he came across a doorway. There was a single button to the left of the door ad he pressed it, hoping that somebody would answer quickly. He was freezing.

Instead of the voice out of the little speaker that he had been expecting to hear, the door was flung open, mere seconds after the buzz had finished.

"What do you want?"

The speaker was a young woman, no older than Nate himself. She was illuminated only by a faint light glowing some distance behind her, turning her deep red hair into a dancing flame every time she twitched her head. Judging by the way she was dressed in formfitting, black clothes, she was getting ready to go out.

"My car broke down, just up the street and my phone's flat and I was wondering if I could-."

"You're Nate Grey."

She said it in such a hostile way that Nate raised his eyebrows. Nobody had ever reacted to his presence in that way before. He had been greeted by screaming girls, fainting girls, crying girls, girls that were unaffected, but never had he been greeted by such a furious person. Or at least, not since he had last seen _her_, the girl he refused to think about any more.

The girl was still speaking. "I don't know what you're doing here, but you can go somewhere else to do it. You're fine with buggering off when you're promised fame and fortune, leaving everybody you know behind, forgetting about the people you know, yet you expect to be able to come back here and do whatever you like."

"I just wanted to make a phone call!" He protested, holding up his hands. The girl shrugged.

"Well you're not making it here."

Before Nate could say anything else, a shout from behind the girl had them both distracted.

"Who's at the door, Willow?"

The voice was oddly familiar. He frowned as he tried to lean to one side and look around the redhead, a girl apparently named Willow. There was something about that voice, something that told him he should recognise it. He knew instantly that he had heard that voice very recently and quite probably every day of his life for the past several years, yet he had no idea who it was. The speaker was a girl, that much he could tell, but the only girl he had been around every day for the past few years should currently be sitting in a posh hotel room four miles away.

"Come see for yourself."

Willow stepped to one side, flicking a light switch and illuminating the hallway. Nate blinked at the bright area in front of him for several seconds.

"Nate? What are you doing here?" His jaw dropped.

It was Mitchie. Mitchie was striding up the hallway, eyeing him suspiciously. She was holding her phone in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, frowning.

"I was going to met up with Jason and Shane and my car broke down so-"

Mitchie interrupted him. "How long have you been standing out there? Jesus, you'll die if you get any wetter. Willow, let him inside."

"Mitch, I don't think-."

"Just for two minutes. If I call Jase then he can be here to pick Nate up before you even realise it."

"Are you sure?"

Nate frowned. What exactly did this Willow character have against him? He hadn't knowingly caused her any harm and he hadn't deliberately offended her. Why was she so defensive against him? She wasn't familiar and he was pretty sure that he would remember somebody like her. She had dark red hair, sharp grey eyes and incredibly pale skin, giving her the appearance of somebody who had no patience with the world at all.

Mitchie was already on the phone, waving Nate inside. Willow reluctantly stepped aside and allowed him through the door, slamming it shut behind him and glaring at him each time he took a step. Nate quickly got the picture and stopped a few feet away from the door.

"Hey Jase." Mitchie smiled the soft smile that she always wore when her Jason was mentioned. Nate had become used to that smile over the past seven years.

Ever since the first time Jason had worked up the nerve to ask Mitchie out, that smile had been a central point in all three of the brothers' lives. Over the past seven years, it had become more and more common for Shane and Nate to see Mitchie wandering around the house they shared with their brother, wearing that same smile. Then, when Jason had finally asked her to marry him six months prior, the smile had become permanent. Nate rarely saw any other expression on her face these days.

"No, nothing's wrong at all. It's just that... well, Nate's here. Yes, Nate. His car happened to break down outside and I was wondering if you could come- well that's good. I'll see you in five minutes then? I love you." Mitchie flipped her phone shut. "Don't make yourself at home, Nate. Jason says he'll be here as fast as he can. When he gets here, you go straight out to him, okay? No dawdling, for any reason at all."

"Yes mam." When had Mitchie become so demanding?

There was several seconds of awkward silence. Willow and Mitchie seemed to be having a silent conversation, equipped with just nods and shakes of their heads. Nate finally cleared his throat, pulling the attention of the two females back to him.

"So what're you doing here Mitchie? I thought you were getting ready for the party at the hotel with Jason."

"I'm going to go and... call my boyfriend." Willow said in a low voice.

"You don't _have _a boyfriend, Will." Mitchie reminded her. Nate chuckled.

"You think it's funny that I don't have boyfriend, Nate?" Willow turned towards him with a murderous expression. "You think it's funny that I'm not in a serious relationship at the moment? At least I'm not afraid of finding love, unlike-." She broke of and gasped, her eyes betraying that she had let too much slip. Muttering curse words under her breath, Willow exited the room as fast as she could.

Mitchie threw Nate an apologetic glance. "Sorry about her. She really doesn't like you."

"I noticed. When you see her, tell her I'm sorry for whatever I did to upset her."

"Yeah, well she has her reasons."

Leaving the conversation on that awkward note didn't settle well with Nate. He licked his lips and repeated his earlier question. "Why are you here again?"

Mitchie looked down at the piece of paper she was still clutching in one hand. "I was all for getting ready at the hotel like I'd planned, when Willow turned up. She's a... an old friend that I hadn't heard from in years and I found her contact details when I was writing out the invites. I decided to invite her to the engagement party and if she accepted, I would invite her to the wedding. When she didn't respond, I assumed I had the wrong address, but apparently not because she turned up three hours ago. We decided to get ready here and catch up, where you- you boys," she corrected herself. "Couldn't disturb us."

"Oh. That's cool."

The two were saved from yet another break in the conversation by a knock at the door. Mitchie gave a high pitched squeal and ran towards it, flinging it open and leaping into the arms of her fiancée.

"I missed you!" She said, burying her face in his neck. Jason muttered something in her ear in return and she pulled away to slap him playfully, her cheeks a deep crimson.

"Hey Jase," Nate mumbled, waving half-heartedly at his older brother. Jason grinned grimly at him.

"Come on then Nate. We've got to get going before... well just before."

"Before what?" Nate asked curiously. He received no reply, Mitchie and Jason were kissing each other goodbye. "Come on, bro. I have no clothes, I need to borrow some of yours if you want me to look presentable tonight."

Several long seconds later, Jason pulled away from Mitchie, swooping down to press a kiss to the silver ring on her left hand before following his brother out into the storm. Jason had had the sense to wear a waterproof coat and therefore made it across the street to where he had parked his car without getting a drop of water on his shirt. Nate, on the other hand, trailed along behind him, leaving a line in the stream running down the side of the pavement.

Jason had left the heat on inside his car and Nate felt it hit him almost before he was inside. It was a relief to be in such a comfortable, warm and dry area after the day he had lived through.

As soon as Nate had secured his seatbelt, Jason slammed his foot down on the accelerator, forcing the car forwards with such force that Nate's head was jerked backwards. The car skidded around the corner and up several more roads before Jason slowed down, sighing and glancing around almost nervously.

"Jason, what the hell?" Nate almost yelled, his eyes wide and his hands gripping the side of his chair for support. He didn't get a response. Jason was focused entirely on the road, ignoring any comment his younger sibling might have on his erratic driving from seconds before.

_xOx_

For the third time in half an hour, a knock sounded on Willow's front door. Standing impatiently in the hallway behind it, Mitchie gave a small scream. She muffled it with her own hands and waved Willow forward excitedly.

The redhead opened the door with a wide smile on her face, grinning at the girl standing on her doorstep.

"Hey." The girl frowned at Willow's outfit. "I thought we were staying in! If I'd known we were going out then I would have taken more care in what I was wearing."

The girl gestured to the jeans and jumper she was wearing. She definitely wasn't ready to go out to the same degree that Willow was. She was sopping wet, standing under an old black umbrella.

"Yeah, well you don't need to worry about your outfit." Willow took a deep breath. "Cait, I've got a surprise for you."

Willow opened the door all the way, revealing the grinning brunette standing inside.

"Caitlyn!"

The girl in question froze entirely. Her face paled further than it had ever paled before and the smile she had been bearing immediately dropped. She looked absolutely petrified.

"Mitchie?"

**Without the notes, it's exactly three pages long. In case you hadn't picked up on the fact, it's set seven years after the original. I'm sorry it's been a month since the last chapter but I wanted to get it just right, launch back into it in a way that I would be excited to write for as well as a way that would get people interested. **

**Reviews?**

****Spwarkle****


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm at my grandparents at the moment and I have to hare a room with my brother so I thought I would finish this off because he's still asleep and I have to be quiet.**

**Sorry about the wait, but on the bright side, I'm not busy for the next... week or so, so you might get another update. **

"Mitchie what are you doing here?"

Mitchie frowned, taking a small step closer to her old friend. "I came to see you, why'd you think I'm here?"

Caitlyn swallowed. "How did you find me?"

"I called your Mum and... yeah."

"She promised that she wouldn't tell anybody! I don't want you here Mitchie!"

As soon as the words had left her mouth, Caitlyn gasped. Willow raised her eyebrows and Mitchie looked hurt.

"I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry! Look, can I come in, please?"

"C'mon." Willow showed the two women into the nearest room, a little kitchen. It was tiled in black and white, sparkling and spotless, but Mitchie and Caitlyn barely noticed. They were too busy staring at each other. "I'll leave you guys to it, then."

Willow backed out of the room, wisely closing the door as she did so, and Mitchie watched her go. Caitlyn stood in the middle of the room, shaking with cold and shock.

"Mitchie, why now? Why not chase after me when I first left camp? Why not get in contact sooner? Why've you waited seven years?"

Mitchie pulled a chair out from under the little table and sat down, tucking her hair behind one ear. "I really, really wanted to ask you something, Cait. And, it's kind of important to me."

"What?"

"Will you be my maid of honour?"

"Your maid of- you're getting married?" Caitlyn's jaw dropped. "Is that the only reason you came after me?"

"No, of course not. I missed you, I really did, and when I got engaged, I realised that I couldn't get married without my best friend by my side."

"I'm sure you've got another friend you could ask."

"No, I haven't!" Mitchie snapped. "I know we haven't spoken since we were teenagers, but you are still my best friend, Cait. You always have been and you always will be, regardless of how long it's been since we last spoke."

"Mitch..."

"Cait, please? I don't want someone else helping me plan my wedding, I want you. I want the crazy, best friend who I could trust with everything by my side."

Caitlyn bit her lip. She had spent seven years avoiding Mitchie – and _them _– and making sure their paths didn't cross. She knew that Mitchie had become rather a large singer, but she had avoided any news article or concert with her name on. Caitlyn had been incredibly careful not to make the same mistakes twice. She had only told Willow about her unfortunate past and had skirted around the topic with any of her other friends. On more than one occasion, she had completely ignored questions from her friends about things they had found when browsing the internet. As far as her friends were concerned, Caitlyn Gellar had no past. She had started life as an eighteen year old girl living in a tiny apartment in the middle of New York.

On the other hand, Mitchie was her best friend. Before she had run away from camp – she refused to even think it's name – Mitchie had been her sister. They had told each other everything, trusted each other with their lives. They went everywhere together, never paused to think about consequences where one and other were involved. Mitchie was never afraid to help out Caitlyn in her darkest hours and Caitlyn, in return, had never rejected her friendship. Maybe those seven years could be made up. Maybe they could even be forgotten, if only Caitlyn trusted her old friend.

"Mitchie, you _know_ that you are my best friend. I just... I don't know much about you any more. I know the absolute minimum about your celebrity lifestyle so I have absolutely no idea what's going on in your real life. I mean, who're you marrying? Is it someone I know?"

"Um..." Mitchie seemed to fidget on her seat, looking down at her shoes. "You did meet him once or twice. You probably wouldn't remember him though." She looked up. "But surely you've read? Do you not read any magazines at all?"

"Not if I can help it, no."

There were several seconds of silence, in which the two women stared thoughtfully at each other. Then, in a flash of lightning, Mitchie was across the room and they were hugging, tears pouring down both of their faces.

"You're all wet." Mitchie said with a laugh. Caitlyn gave a tearful giggle and pulled away.

"I missed you Mitch."

"I missed you too."

There was a soft knock on the kitchen door. Willow poked her head in just as Caitlyn and Mitchie turned around, both wiping their eyes and smiling wide smiles.

"Mitchie, we've only got an hour until we've got to be there."

"An hour? Where did the time go?"

Willow shrugged. "No idea. Anyway, we need to get Cait ready."

"Ready for what?" Questioned Caitlyn.

"My engagement party, silly!" Mitchie grinned. "It's tonight, and you are coming. There is no way I can have an engagement party without my maid of honour."

"I'm still not sure. I mean-."

"No. You _are _my maid of honour, like it or lump it."

Caitlyn smiled. "I guess I'll have to like it then, won't I?"

_xOx_

"Are you sure that you're the right Caitlyn Gellar?" Mitchie asked carefully. She was standing by the front door, dressed in an elegant black dress, her eyes glued to Caitlyn. Gliding down the stairs in a pair of bright red high heel shoes and matching short dress, Caitlyn looked stunning. Willow came down behind her, still wearing hr sparkling outfit from earlier, but grinning.

"She's changed," Willow told Mitchie. "Even in the seven years I've known her, she's changed."

"She looked good, really good." Mitchie sighed. "She's going to be one of those bridesmaids who steals the show, isn't she?"

"Probably, but then, Jason isn't likely to look at her."

Caitlyn, who had opened her mouth to remind the two women she was in the room, gasped. "_Jason_?"

"Oh. Um." Willow blushed. "I'm going to go out to the car." She bolted out of the door, car keys in hand and disappeared into the wet night.

"Jason?" Caitlyn repeated. "As in the same Jason you started dating at camp seven years ago."

"Yeah..." Mitchie looked up shyly to find Caitlyn smiling very softly. "Why aren't you mad at me? You should be furious that I lied to you. Amongst... other things."

"I get it Mitchie, I don't mind. You and Jason have got to be the cutest couple ever, really, and if you love him and he loves you back, you should get married."

"But, Cait. You do know that at all of these functions, _he _is going to be there, don't you?"

Taking a deep breath, Caitlyn nodded. "I guessed. Jason _is _his brother after all."

There was the sound of a horn from outside and both of them jumped. Caitlyn reached for the umbrella she had left by the door and pulled open the door, thrusting the umbrella outside before she opened it. Once it was open, she beckoned Mitchie under it and locked the door before the girls sprinted wildly towards Willow's black, almost invisible, car.

The journey to the venue took just a few minutes. Mitchie began to worry almost as soon as she rounded the corner. What if Jason had changed his mind? What if he decided she wasn't good enough for him?

"And this," Willow muttered dryly. "Is why I never plan on getting married."

"This is only the engagement party," Caitlyn giggled at Willow's alarmed expression.

The car pulled up outside the hotel at that second. Mitchie gave a sound that was halfway between a squeal and a groan and then sat up straight and opened the door. There was a wide canopy in front of the hotel and Willow had pulled up right in front of it.

"We've hired the whole hotel so you can leave the car here, Will."

"Okay dokay."

Mitchie climbed out, leaping under the canopy and then pushing the door shut with her foot. Willow darted around the car seconds later but Caitlyn was frozen in her seat.

In just an hour, her entire life had been reversed. Everything she had aimed for in the last seven years, everything she had done to escape from her past, had just reappeared in front of her. Mitchie was here. Mitchie was marrying Jason. Jason was _his _brother. _He _was most likely going to be here tonight. Was she really ready for this? She hadn't spent much time considering it, but Mitchie had already asserted that she had changed. Maybe she had changed enough to be over him. Maybe hr tolerance for dresses wasn't the only new thing.

"C'mon Cait!" Willow shouted over the rain. "It's too late to back out now!"

Caitlyn sighed and pushed open the door, sliding carefully out and joining her friends under cover. Willow slammed the door shut and locked the car.

"I love how I don't know anybody at this wedding," The redhead said with a grin. "I'm just coming to stop Caitlyn running away."

"And too see if there are any fit boys," Caitlyn reminded her.  
>"I never said that!"<p>

"You didn't have to."

Mitchie grinned at the bickering as the three girls stepped into the hotel. Even the reception area was jam packed.

"Okay, you two. This is a completely casual do. Apart from the outfits, that is. Just mingle. There aren't any rules, no specific timings. Just a lot of music, wine and celebrating." Mitchie pointed in the direction of the ballroom and the flashing lights inside that seemed so out of place in such an expensive room. "In there. Just don't do anything crazy, we can't afford to replace crystal chandeliers."

"See you later!"

Willow had disappeared within seconds, leaving Mitchie and Caitlyn alone. Caitlyn bit her lip as she glanced around.

"Do you know where he'll be?"

"No, I don't I'm sorry."

Somebody placed a hand on Caitlyn's shoulder and she shrieked, spinning, only to yell in excitement,

"Jason!" She threw her arms around the eldest Grey brother and he patted her back carefully.

"Hey, Cait." Caitlyn dropped her arms from around his neck and straightened out his dress. "You look stunning."

"Thank you, Jase."

Jason grinned easily at her before taking Mitchie's hand and leaning down to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. Caitlyn raised her eyebrows.

"I'll see you two later."

The curly haired girl wriggled her way through the crowds, smiling at and apologising to all of the people she knocked or bumped. Once she had entered the ballroom – a nineteenth century work of art turned modern by disco balls and speakers – she noticed the bar at one side of the room and set course for it. This room was easier to navigate; most people were sitting at a table or dancing in the centre of the room.

"I'll have whatever," Caitlyn muttered to the barman. She sank onto one of the stools and turned around. Her eyes scanned the room. She couldn't see him or his curls anywhere. He had to be here, surely, but _where_?

"Here we are love," The greasy old man behind the bar gave her an appraising look as he handed her the drink and she shuddered involuntarily. The man sitting at the bar next to her chuckled.

"She's taken, I'm afraid, Greg."

"Thanks- Shane?"

"Hey Cait,"

"That is _exactly _what Jason said to me. Does it run in your family?"

Shane chuckled again. "Probably. But never mind that, how are you?"

"Woah, back up there. What did you do with Shane! You know, the one who teased me mirthlessly when I was a child because my best friend was a boy and didn't give two stuffs about how I was."

Shane looked wounded. "I stood up for you at Camp Rock that last summer, didn't I?"

"Still a pathetic actor, I see."

"Thanks." Shane took a sip of the glass of beer in his hand.

"So, why are you sat here? Why aren't you out dancing with your girlfriend or something?"

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"But you're _Shane Grey_!"

"It doesn't mean anything when every girlfriend I can get wants money, fame or one of my brothers."

"Really? I bet there's a girl out there for you, somewhere."

"I don't care. I decided a long time ago that I was going to stay single for the rest of my life. Getting into a serious relationship and falling in love means being tied down."

Caitlyn smiled sadly. "Not always. Some people fall in love and then disappear."

"Oh. Cait, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-."

"I know, it's fine!" Caitlyn picked up the drink she had been given and tested a mouthful. Champagne. For some reason, it had been served in a beer glass, but she didn't care.

"Shane, have you seen Jase anywhere?"

Caitlyn froze mid sip. She knew that voice. She could have picked it out from a crowd of a thousand people. It might have been seven years since she had heard it, but she still knew exactly who it belonged to.

"Nate!" Shane's voice was incredibly high pitched and Caitlyn was pretty sure he had emptied his mouthful of beer all the way down Nate's shirt.

"Nate," She whispered to herself.

**My granddad is amazing with timing. He walked in just as I finished this chapter.**

**I've got to go, leave me a review and I'll try and update sooner.**

****Spwarkle****


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